Friday, January 29, 2016

We all know the value of mentor texts, so when Jenny Lussier,
the fabulous library media specialist at Brewster School in Durham, CT, tweeted
this:

I took her request seriously.

Back in November 2014, I wrote this post about persuasive books. It describes how surprised I was
when an article in Book Links included
my book A Place for Bats on a list of
persuasive books.

To be sure, anyone who reads A Place for Bats would realize that I have a point of view (we
should protect bats and their habitats), but as I saw it, I was merely laying out
the facts and letting the reader decide. That wasn’t really persuasive, was it?
Hmm, maybe it was, though in a subtle way.

That
seems to be the approach many nonfiction children’s books take. Authors have an
idea they’re passionate about and want to share, so they provide facts, evidence
for readers.

But
as Jenny’s tweet points out, that isn’t quite the same as what we expect
students to do when they write persuasive texts. And so what she wanted was a
nonfiction book that really, truly, actively tried to convince readers to do
something, to take action.

The
first book that came to mind was Don’t
Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. But of course, that’s fiction.

Then I thought of a nonfiction title that fits the bill: The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson. The author cleverly employs first person narration, allowing each sea creature to highlight its special features in an attempt to persuade readers that it is the most amazing. I think reading these two books together is a great way to prime the pumps, so to speak, of students trying to write persuasive pieces for the first time.

At
the same time, I’d also suggest reading the early chapter book The Trouble with Ants by Claudia Mills.
One of the book’s subplots involves a fourth grade class assignment to write
persuasive essays and share them with the class. The book includes the essays
written by the main character and two supporting characters. These make
especially good models because they address topics that will really resonate
with elementary students.

And when the children seem ready, I would go ahead and share
nonfiction books that are persuasive in a more subtle way. Besides A Place for Bats,examples include City Chickens by
Christine Heppermann and Who Says Women
Can’t Be Doctors?The Story of
Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone. After all, in addition to learning
how to craft debate-ready arguments, students should also have experience
recognizing how an author’s point of view influences the way he or she presents
information.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Back in 2011, I wrote a series of blog posts describing
my writing process. I compiled them on pinterest, so it’s easy for educators to access them as a group and
share them with students.

One of those posts
described a step that I call “Let It Chill Out,” which basically means that I
take time away from a manuscript after I complete the first draft. Lately,
teachers have been showing a lot of interest in this step, so I’d like to spend
a bit more time explaining why I think it’s so important for me—and for young
writers.

Really, I’m no different from a younger
writer. When I finish a draft, I think to myself: “Phew, am I ever glad to be
done! I worked long and hard on this draft, and I think it’s pretty good. In
fact, maybe it doesn’t need any revisions at all.”

If the voice in my head is saying: “It’s good
enough. It’s good enough,” am I going to notice parts of the manuscript that
need work? No way.

But if I take a break. If I spend two days or
two weeks or even two months working on something else, I can come back to the
first manuscript with fresh eyes and an open mind. In other words, I’m ready to
revise. I’m ready to re-envision the writing.

Obviously, students can’t take a 2-month
hiatus from every piece of writing they do, but why not let their writing chill
during lunch and recess or over a weekend or during a week of school vacation? And wouldn’t it be great if, near the end of the school year,
young writers could revisit a couple of pieces they wrote in September or
October.

Not only would they be more open to making improvements, they could
also see how much they’ve grown as writers during the school year. I think it’s
worth a try.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Educators
often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this
year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching
materials and strategies.

Now
that we are in the heart of winter, it seems like the perfect time to talk
about Under the Snow. This book is
perfect for science lessons about weather, habitats, and animal adaptations. It
directly addresses NGSS PEs 2-LS4-1 and 3-ESS2-1.
You can start your lesson with a fun Readers Theater script that I’ve
written to accompany the book.

I’ve also created a Teacher’s Guide that
makes connections to a wide variety of NGSS and Common Core standards as well
as a Where Do Ideas Come From? Video thattakes readers to Gates Pond in Hudson,
Massachusetts, the place where I had the experience that led me to write Under the Snow as well as When Rain Falls.

Because Under the
Snow features a wondrous, lyrical voice it’s a perfect choice for lessons
that focus on why voice is an important element of nonfiction writing. I have
paired this book with Animal Grossapedia, which has a strong, sassy
voice to create a Voice Choicemini-lesson
that students love.

Friday, January 22, 2016

On Wednesday morning, this Tweet from uber-talented author
Betsy Partridge alerted me to a great new resource for educators who want help
adding nonfiction to their classroom or library collections.

Thanks toJennifer Wharton, the youth services librarian at the Matheson Memorial
Library in Elkhorn, WI, Selecting and Promoting Nonfiction in Your Library is a new column in School Library Journal. Wharton’s goal
is to provide tips for identifying middle-grade nonfiction that is high in “literary
quality and excellence of research” and will also“spark
the imagination and encourage readers to discover new facts, see things in a
new light, or continue their journey of discovery.”

I love that in addition to recommending a half dozen really terrific
books, the article also gives educators the tools they need to find more great nonfiction
titles on their own. I’m already looking forward to the next installment.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

While there are certainly
exceptions, most nonfiction picture books fall into two broad
categories—picture book biographies and science/nature-themed picture books.

As I discussed last week, almost
all picture book biographies feature a chronological sequence text structure
and a narrative writing style. That means that if you're writing a picture
book biography, most of your big-picture decisions are made for you. The biggest
considerations will be (1) voice, which will be determined by the personality of the person you are writing about, and (2) deciding which scenes to show and how to link them with expository bridges.

The underlying architecture of
science/nature-themed picture books is much more diverse. These books can
feature any of the text structures (description, sequence, compare &
contrast, question & answer, cause & effect, problem & solution) espoused by Common Core. They can be surveys or specialized,or they can be concept books. They can
have anarrative or expository writing style, and the voice can fall
anywhere along the lively-to-lyrical continuum.

With so many choices, how does a
writer narrow down his or her options? It isn’t easy.

What it comes down to for me is
finding a way to delight as well as inform young readers, and that often
involves surprising them and/or encouraging them to think about the topic from
a new or different perspective.

Once I find that special bit of magic, I take
out my writer’s toolbox and start tinkering. I consider various nonficiton categories,
text structures, and writing styles. I think about voice and point of view.Then I plunge into the writing and see where the
ideas swirling in my head take me.

No Monkeys, No Chocolate employs an intriguing title, a cumulative sequence
text structure, and humorous bookworm characters in a third layer of text to
delight readers as they explore an important science concept—the
interrelationships among plants and animals in a rain forest community.

Feathers: Not Just for Flying uses an expository writing style and a wondrous
lyrical voice to explore a specialized topic—the many surprising ways that
birds use their feathers. Similes in the main text drive the book’s compare and
contrast text structure, inviting readers to make connections between feathers
and familiar objects in our daily lives.

I truly admire An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston
(and it’s many companion titles). The book instantly makes children (and
adults) curious. The layered text allows for bold statements with provocative
descriptive words—clever, artistic, giving—that challenge our thinking.
Secondary text and labels support and expand on the main ideas, encouraging
readers to appreciate eggs in a whole new way. By carefully crafting a circular
structure with a twist at the end, Aston leaves readers amazed as well as
satisfied.

Here are a few other
science/nature-themed picture books that I highly recommend:

Bone by Bone
by Sara Levine

Creature Features by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

A Leaf Can Be
by Laura Purdie Salas

How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge

Neighborhood Sharks by Katherine Roy

Weeds Find a Way
by Cynthia Jenson-Elliott

I encourage you to read and analyze these
books, considering (1) what makes them special and (2) what tools the authors
employed as they crafted the texts.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Last week, I blogged about my favorite book of the year, The Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle.
The book I’m highlighting today comes in a close second.

The Bear
Report by Thyra Heder is a fictional story about a girl who is
supposed to research three facts about polar bears, and is clearly bored by the
assignment. After listing three ho-hum facts, she heads to the living
room to watch TV.

That’s when things get interesting. A polar bear suddenly
appears out of nowhere and transports the girl to his arctic environment for
some firsthand research. Initially, she is unimpressed, but as she experiences
the bear's world, her curiosity and knowledge grows. In the final scene, the girl is
back home, surrounded by books and maps and notes and drawings, assembling the
most awesome polar bear report you can imagine.

Why do I love this book? Because many students think research
is boring, and it just breaks my heart. I’m going to blog more about this in a
six-part series beginning next month, but for now I’d like to share two things:

Some words and phrases I associate with the
act of researching:

--Treasure hunt

--Discovery

--Exploration

--Curiosity

--Fascinating facts

--Prospecting for rare nuggets of knowledge

--Developing unique perspectives

--Books, databases, observations, interviews

--Travel

A word cloud based on words and phrases sixth
graders associate with the act of researching:

These students certainly aren’t alone. And
although I’m not sure why students have this attitude by middle school, I am
sure that books like The Bear Report can
show them that authentic research can be fun as well as fascinating.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

This year, I’m taking a close look at what I
call the Nonfiction Triumvirate—nonfiction categories, writing styles, and text
structures. So far, I’ve defined each of these three elements and provided
lists of sample books. If you missed the discussion, you can scroll down or use
the search box to see past posts.

Today I’m going to
look at the interplay among nonfiction categories, writing styles, and text
structures. As you are thinking about a manuscript from a big-picture point of
view, it helps to understand how you can mix and match these three elements.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Educators
often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this
year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching
materials and strategies.

The
clear, simple text and stunning photos in
Why Are Animals Purple?are perfect
for teaching students about animal adaptations. You can start your lesson with a fun Readers Theater script that
I’ve written to accompany the book. I’ve also created a Teachers Guidethat makes connections to a wide variety of NGSS and Common Core
standards.

For an innovative Reading Buddy experience, try a
same-grade-level pairing in which an emergent reader shares Purple Animals (two simple words per
page) and a more advanced reader shares Why Are
Animals Purple? I
guarantee great results.

Friday, January 8, 2016

The
Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle is my favorite book of 2015. Truth be
told, I’m a big fan of many of Sandra’s books, but I think this one really stands
out. (Are you listening Sibert committee? I sure hope so.)

Okay, I admit it. The book hooked me at first sight (on Alyson
Beecher’s fantastic Kid Lit Frenzy blog
back in August). Just look at that adorable golden lion tamarin on the cover. Who
could possibly resist that face? Not me.

But in this case, beauty is definitely more than skin deep. Sandwiched
between a gripping narrative beginning and a satisfying narrative ending, clear
and engaging expository text with a problem-solution structure describes how scientists and Brazilian citizens
worked together to save the endangered monkey from extinction.

What was the secret to their success? They expanded the tamarins’
home territory by strategically planting trees in pastureland to create
habitat-linking “bridges” of living vegetation. Wow, what a great idea!

Vibrant photos, a dynamic design, and intriguing backmatter further
enhance the book, making it a must-have for classroom and library collections. It
would also make a great gift young animal lovers and budding naturalists.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

This year, I’m taking a close look at what I
call the Nonfiction Triumvirate—nonfiction categories, writing styles, and text
structures. So far, I’ve focused on Nonfiction Categories and Writing Styles.
If you missed the discussion, you can scroll down or use the search box to see past
posts.

Today I’m looking at text structure, which
I’ve blogged about many, many times before. My ideas about nonfiction text
structure have been constantly evolving for the last several years.

The books below are classified according to
the major structures espoused by Common Core with
a range sub-structures for kinds of books that are currently widely represented
in high-quality children’s literature.

For example, as I see it, 80 to 85 percent of
all trade nonfiction has a sequence text structure, so subgroupings are helpful
in examining all the ways authors are experimenting and innovating.

Description/Explanation

A Black Hole Is Not a HolebyCarolyn Cinami DeCristofano

The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins

Creep and Flutter by Jim Arnosky

Dolphins! by Melissa Stewart

Frogs by Nic Bishop

Lightship by Brian Floca

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies

Sequence

Chronological narrative

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman

Buried Alive by Elaine Scott

The Day-Glo Brothers by
Chris Barton

Marvelous Mattieby Emily Arnold McCully

Noah Webster & His Words by
Jeri Chase Ferris

Planting
the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by
Claire A. Nivola

Pop:
The Invention of Bubble Gum by Megan McCarthy

The Secret World of Walter
Anderson by Hester Bass

What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley

Episodic narrative

Ballet for Marthaby Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

Brave Girl by Michelle Markel

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan

Braided narrativeAmelia Lost by
Candace Fleming

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming

Titanic: Voices from the
Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson

We’ve Got a Job by Cynthia Levinson

Journey narrative

If Stones Could Speak by Marc Aronson

Lost Treasure of the Inca by Peter Lourie

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by
Sy Montgomery

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain by
Sy Montgomery

Cycle narrative

Beneath the Sun by Melissa Stewart

A Drop of Water by Gordon Morrison

Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman

Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley

Redwoods by Jason Chin (due to the art)

Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre

Chronological expository

Bugged:
How Insects Changed History by Sarah Albee

Poop
Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee

Why'd
They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History by Sarah Albee

Cumulative expository

Here Is the Tropical Rain Forest by
Madeleine Dunphy

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart

Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox

How-to expository

Dessert
Designers: Creations You Can Make and Eat by Dana Meachen Rau

How
to Swallow a Pig by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

The
Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes by Doug Stillinger

Roald
Dahl's Revolting Recipes by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl

Try
This! 50 Fun Experiments for the Mad Scientist in You by
Karen Romano Young

Compare & Contrast

Dueling spreads

Frog or Toad? How Do You Know?by
Melissa Stewart

Mosquito Bite by Alexandra Siy

Neo Leo by Gene Barretta

Those Rebels, Tom & John by
Barbara Kerley

List books

Born in
the Wild by
Lita Judge

Born to
Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge

Monday, January 4, 2016

Educators
often ask me which of my books would work best in their classroom. So this
year, I’ve decided to feature a book each week and highlight related teaching
materials and strategies.

Because Animal
Grossapedia features a strong, sassy voice, it’s a perfect choice for
lessons that focus on why voice is an important element of nonfiction writing.
I have paired this book with When Rain Falls and Under the Snow,
which have a wondrous, lyrical voice to create a Voice Choicemini-lesson (scroll to bottom of page) that students love.

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About Me

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 nonfiction books for children. Her lifelong fascination with the natural world led her to earn a B.S.
in biology and M.A. in science journalism. When Melissa isn’t writing or speaking to children or educators, she’s usually exploring natural places near her home or around the world.